Coronavirus pandemic | Pornhub offers free premium membership, sees spike in traffic

The coronavirus pandemic has led to several countries being put on lockdown. Among the most affected countries include Italy and France, where the number of reported cases and deaths due to COVID-19 are rising every passing day. For people to stay at home and pass their time, Adult entertainment website Pornhub has announced free premium membership to viewers in France, Italy and Spain.

“In light of expanding quarantines, we are extending Free Pornhub Premium for the month to our friends in France! Pornhub will also donate this month’s sales from Modelhub… Courage France!”, Pornhub tweeted. The same tweet was posted for Italy and Spain.

Further, the company also announced that it will donate all the proceeds from its adult content marketplace, Modelhub. Typically, the premium subscription costs $9.99 per month or $7.99 per month with a year-long package.

Pornhub is donating its March proceeds from Modelhub to support Italy during this unfortunate time (model earnings will remain untouched). Italy will also have free access to Pornhub Premium throughout the month. Forza Italia, we love you! pic.twitter.com/DD0nYDyrJ4

— Pornhub ARIA (@Pornhub) March 12, 2020

Soon after the company announced the offers, it experienced a significant spike in terms of traffic in all the three countries. According to a series of charts in a blog post entitled “Coronavirus Insights”, Pornhub Spain witnessed a jump of 61 percent compared to an “average day”, reported CNBC.

Italy followed next with a 57 percent rise in traffic whereas Pornhub France saw a 38 percent increase in its premium content viewership. Worldwide on March 17, the day with the most recent available data, traffic to Pornhub was up 11.6 percent.

The statistics “clearly illustrate that people all over Europe were happy to have distractions while quarantined at home,” the company wrote on its blog.

The highest traffic jump in countries without the free membership offer came from Hong Kong, which reached a 23.4 percent increase on March 17, followed by India, with an 18 percent increase.